Cruel Device
by Asrayu
Summary: After departures and injuries, the Nexus are rather depleted. A new member changes the leader's view of the bigger picture. But in the WWE, trouble is never far away.  Wade/OC, Pre-Cenexus to Present.
1. Chapter 1

Author's notes:

_Eek, I've actually written a wrestling fanfic. Oh well, there's a first time for everything I suppose._

_Anyway, standard disclaimers apply. All characters (except one!) belong to World Wrestling Entertainment and this is purely a work of fiction for a bit of fun._

_I write about the onscreen characters rather than the actual people who bring them to life, so I prefer to avoid resemblance to the real individuals concerned in terms of names, etc. No offence is intended to any party whose character is portrayed herein._

_I use British English, so if you're American, there will be some linguistic differences._

_Rated T for now, to possibly rise later._

_Reviews, be they one word or a thesis, are all cherished. Virtual cupcakes if you can figure out the song reference in the title!  
_

* * *

**Cruel Device**

**Chapter 1**

It was Monday night in the Nexus dressing room backstage at Raw.

David Otunga was fiddling with his Blackberry. Most of the group swore it was surgically attached to his hand, as he spent the majority of his day keeping up with his supposedly A-list social life.

Heath Slater and Justin Gabriel were watching the show unfold on the monitor, the self-proclaimed "One Man Rock Band" keeping up a running commentary, with his South African friend occasionally rolling his eyes in despair.

Michael Tarver and Wade Barrett, the group's leader and strategic mastermind sat on plastic chairs in the corner of the room, mulling over strategy. The reason for this tactical planning was that Nexus had a dilemma. They had debuted as the most impressive and dominant force to hit the WWE in years, but now, only a few months in to their time in the company, they had been losing members at an alarming rate. Bryan and Young had both been kicked out of the group, lacking the ruthless attitude Wade felt necessary. Skip Sheffield was out and likely to stay out for some time. Wade worried that their decline in numbers would stall their momentum completely.

So the Nexus were looking around for new blood and not just any wrestler would do.

Much of the group's strength derived from their unity, living up to their theme of "We Are One". While they had not always agreed, their embarrassing experiences on NXT had bonded them together through a shared hatred of the WWE hierarchy. The variety of styles, skills and experiences that had made them a good range of competitors on the rookie show worked in their favour now, with strengths overlapping and weaknesses covered.

As such, scouting around for new talent was difficult. Husky Harris and Michael McGillicutty, who had recently finished NXT Season 2, were likely prospects. As second generation wrestlers in particular, they had expected better treatment from the companies they had grown up around and had shown themselves sympathetic to the Nexus' ideals. Beyond that, however, the group were having difficulty filling the eighth place in their ranks, as Michael and Wade's increasing frustration showed.

Their deliberations were interrupted as, from the corner of the room, Heath Slater piped up.

"What about her?"

Wade eyed the redhead with mild scorn "I'm sorry, I must have misheard, I thought you said "her", as in a female" he said, resenting the no doubt puerile interruption to what he saw as an important matter.

"Well, why not? It's an entire division we've stayed away from so far. Besides, picking on the girls a bit, would surely get Cena's attention…"

Despite his often flippant nature, Heath was clever enough to know how to push his leader's buttons. Cena had been the focus of much Nexus attention from their formation, as Wade felt that the best way to have a lasting impact on the company was to go up against the man who was the very symbol of the WWE.

"Yes, but there's another reason we've stayed away from them. They're eye candy, not fighters"

"And we don't need eye candy when we've got Gabriel!"

Justin, used to such cracks at his carefully-maintained appearance, merely struck his best modelling pose and laughed.

"No seriously, check her out. This chick can actually work."

With a sigh, Wade rose and moved towards the monitor, seeing that this line of conversation wasn't going to evaporate on its own.

"Fine, who is she?"

"She's new, one of the girls from the new series of NXT" Heath responded, delighted that his suggestion was actually provoking discussion.

"But that's still going on, isn't it" Tarver interjected.

"Yes, she was the first one eliminated"

"First out with only divas to compete against? Doesn't sound like she's exactly worth our time Slater" Wade waved his hand dismissively.

"Actually, she eliminated herself."

"What?"

"She wouldn't go along with any of the stuff they put on to get guys watching, so they disqualified her from the whole competition. One of the challenges was a dance contest - she grabbed Striker and made him tango with her, while the others were doing stripper moves. Then she just downright refused to go along with the kissing contest. I mean, she'd probably have changed her mind if I were the target! Nobody can turn down the Ginger Love Machine!"

Tarver interrupted, "Whatever you say Slater, but bad attitude aside, can she fight?"

"Oh definitely, she was the only one halfway to being decent on the show. She's smaller than one of us obviously which would limit her a bit, but she has a good style, can handle herself against any other chick, and she gets results, no matter what. Clever too. She doesn't seem to get on too well with the divas. Probably because she can string a sentence together!"

David Otunga, sensing that something worth his notice might be occurring, took the momentous step of pocketing his phone and joining the conversation, asking Heath "Dude, how do you know all this?"

"Well I've been watching."

"Watching the diva version of NXT?" Wade's question was followed by an outbreak of snickering amongst the black and yellow shirted group.

"For….research, yes! Research!"

Justin shook his head. "Trust Heath to be the only one bothering to notice the divas!"

"Excuse me if I'm missing the obvious here, but if she got thrown off NXT, she surely shouldn't be competing on Raw" Wade pointed out, cutting through the banter.

"Well that's where the fun part was. She showed up on Raw, demanding a contract. Obviously, the GM said no dice. She has this sweet submission finisher, which she stuck on Michael Cole and threatened to break him in half unless she got a contract. The GM must have been worried about losing his mouthpiece…either that or that Cole would squeal about who he is if she ramped up the pressure, and gave her what she wanted. And she's been beating Divas senseless for the last couple of weeks"

Tarver voiced the sentiments of the entire group, commenting "…seriously Slater, you know far too much about the women around here."

By this point, the Nexus had crowded around the small monitor in the corner of the room, watching the divas match. Sure enough, the prospect Heath had pointed out was in the process of laying waste to the other woman in the ring, ruthlessly capitalising on the many mistakes of a poorly-trained opponent. She executed complex moves cleanly and crisply, showing a technical style that incorporated the occasional highflying manoeuvre and a nasty streak a mile wide.

Wade was surprised at what he saw. Maybe this suggestion of Slater's wasn't such a crazy idea after all? Gaining a presence in the women's division would bring an added dimension to the group and possibly regain some of their momentum by putting the rest of the roster on notice. The diva's championship might also be an easy way to get some gold quickly, without having to worry about interference in Wade's upcoming match against Cena. A disdain for the WWE system, a bad attitude, capable in the ring, and no hang-ups about being liked by the locker-room…yes, there may be some potential there.

Watching the match, the Englishman's confident smirk was soon back in evidence. Heath grinned, seeing that he had managed to persuade his leader. "Did I mention she's British?" he prompted.

"Why didn't you say so before? Very well then men, let's have a little talk with this Ivy Venom!"

* * *

_Hope you enjoyed. I've started writing part 2, but as yet, I've no idea about any sort of update schedule. Reviews would be greatly appreciated if you could spare the time._


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note:

Wow, it's so nice to get feedback!

Many thanks to erika, wades wife and joolR for the reviews, and everyone who added me to a favourite/alert list.

Anyway, this chapter is our introduction to our obligatory OC.

Crossing my fingers Chapter 3 shouldn't be long in the writing – I was initially going 2 & 3 together, but it seemed like it would be too much.

Hope you enjoy!

* * *

**Cruel Device**

**Chapter 2**

"Good job last week girl!"

The next week, prior to another episode of Raw, Ivy Venom's contemplation of a second helping of pineapple in the catering area was interrupted by her mentor and former NXT pro. Seeing the older gentleman in a smart suit collecting a cup of tea, a gleeful grin spread across her face, in contrast to her usual eye-rolling arrogance.

"Evening boss!" she called as she bounded over to William Regal.

Being placed with him had been one of the things that persuaded her to even consider NXT in the first place. She had assumed that an all female series would feature only divas as pros, and had been pleasantly surprised to be proven wrong. Instead, she was honoured to have been put with a mentor who had a wealth of experience in every aspect of the industry, from competing against champions, to kissing ass…literally.

They had been paired initially as the powers that be thought it best to keep the Brits together. Perhaps there was also an element of trying to tame her rebellious streak using the influence of someone who had a strong allegiance to the status quo. However, despite being very much a company man, Regal had privately approved her actions in gaining a contract, letting her know that he admired her deviousness. Though her tenure on NXT was over, he continued to give her tips and advice wherever he could.

In the few weeks they had been working together, he had helped her improve her technical ringwork, correcting any sloppy execution, going over strategy and teaching her a number of new moves. This had let her become even more dominant in matches - most divas had never been hit with a European Uppercut before. Ivy swore that there was no move that Regal did not know how to pull off. Even the Worm, though he would never admit it in public!

She was happier having a good friend like the veteran superstar than being generally popular backstage. Whereas many divas had been models, dancers or fitness competitors who had been headhunted, she had got into wrestling because she loved the business and as such, she was focused on little else than making a successful career for herself. No distractions needed. For his part, Regal was impressed with the seriousness with which his rookie took her ringwork and career, even if she was rather more light-hearted about everything else. He had thought it was a complete joke when he had been informed he would be coaching on the female series of NXT, but, despite an early exit, he had been pleasantly surprised. And the girl understood football - the proper kind rather than that American nonsense with padding - which was always a bonus in his eyes!

Respectful too, for the most part at least. As she'd taken to calling him boss, rather than trying to be so terribly matey as Skip Sheffield had done. He'd tried to tell her that wasn't necessary, but her rather sadistic sense of humour had caused her to instead start calling him "guvnah" in a terrible cockney accent, until "boss" didn't seem at all bad by comparison.

"So you were impressed with me last week huh?"

"There were some nice moves going on there. And it was a decisive win, so I'm sure it has been taken notice of by the General Manager. At least one of the rookies they gave me is turning out well enough"

Arrogant smirk firmly back in place at this praise, Ivy moved to sit down at one of the vacant tables. "Oh I don't know, your cowboy seems to have done alright for himself! Until he got injured at least."

"Once an idiotic fool, always an idiotic fool! Just because he was sensible enough to fall in with the only one of that crop with a brain doesn't mean I'm going to change my opinion on him. Besides, what would you know about the Nexus? Don't you think you cause enough trouble without more distractions?"

"Ah, nothing boss. You know my focus is on getting into the Divas Title picture, rather than what the men are doing."

"Just as well! Don't bother yourself with what the men's roster are doing or you'll take your eyes off the goal. You remember what I've said all along: how many times does a female wrestler get remembered for who she was shagging rather than for her abilities?"

"As if I could forget! You always sound like my grandmother when you say that!"

"Pah! Anyway, you daft creature, shouldn't you be getting ready for your match?"

Ivy glanced at her watch, suddenly remembering that she had been pushed for time already when she had popped in to the canteen. "Crap! Only an hour to go!" she said, scrambling to her feet. "I'll catch you later, ok boss?"

"Just go out there and win!" Regal dismissed her with a wave of his hand, turning his attention back to his tea.

Ivy ran off to the locker room with lots to do - changing, sorting hair and make-up, warming up, and getting into the right frame of mind to notch up another victory. Rushing more than usual, she didn't notice the black and yellow shirts lurking at the end of the locker room corridor, gazing in her direction.

Ignoring the other divas, she changed into her black and green ring gear. For all her disdain, it was nothing personal, it just so happened that sometimes you had to ruin somebody's day to get ahead. There was no use in distracting yourself with whether you were going to hurt someone's feelings by pounding them into the mat. Winning was what mattered.

Winning was exactly what she was planning tonight. Another Monday, another match. And hopefully, another step on her way to some gold! Lay-cool had been monopolising the title competition of late, but Ivy still had hopes in that direction. Having to face two divas at once would make things more problematic, but even that was nothing that couldn't be solved without a well placed boot to the face!

As usual, Ivy was brimming over with confidence about her future in the company.

She had the skills, she had the dedication and she had the WWE contract. That was all she needed on the path to the Divas' Title and success. Nothing was going to get in the way of her plans!

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As always, reviews, be they short or long, greatly appreciated.

Next chapter: Enter the Nexus and their ultimatum


	3. Chapter 3

Author's note:

Thanks to OriginalBP, RickaRickaRicka, BananaFish33, humanoidaspect and SandraSmit19 for your lovely reviews, as well as everyone who added it as an alert or favourite. I'm really delighted that you are enjoying this, including the Heath and Regal love! (I totally adore both of them!)

Anyway, I managed to finish another chapter while watching Smackdown earlier, so please, read and enjoy!

* * *

**Cruel Device**

**Chapter 3**

When she was competing, Ivy focused on the match and nothing else. Commentary, the shouts of the WWE universe, or, the usual distraction of many divas – looking good for the cameras, were things she tuned out, focusing only on what happened between the four ringposts. This Monday's match was no exception. As such, she didn't notice the hostile reaction from the crowd, nor the black and yellow shirts that quickly surrounded the ring.

She quickly finished off Alicia Fox, capitalising on a mistake by the other diva by reversing a poor pin attempt into her favourite submission move, the Hemlock. A few taps on the mat later and the referee was raising her hand. Getting to her feet, Ivy pushed her long hair out of her face. It was such a pain to have it loose in the ring, but the WWE did prioritise looking good over being able to see when competing!

Only then did she notice the Nexus surrounding the ring. Before there was a chance to react, she was grabbed from behind. She tried to wrench her arms away, but they were held firm behind her by Michael Tarver and David Otunga as the other members of Nexus entered the ring. The group's leader, the huge Englishman Wade Barrett, muttered at Fox to get out, which she did as quickly as she could, leaving Ivy alone in the ring with five intimidating men, all with their sights trained on her.

This did not look good at all. Ivy knew of the Nexus' random attacks in the past, but they hadn't attacked the women before. What was going on? In fact, on thinking about it, all of the people they'd attacked had been symbolic and…well, important! That was why the WWE had tried to mobilise and fight them off with the match at Summerslam. But a rookie diva who had only been on Raw for a few weeks?

More worrying for Ivy, that also surely meant that nobody in the locker room would be coming to her aid. Regal was the only one backstage who was ever in her company, and she knew her mentor far too well to expect any sudden fits of chivalry on his part. Suddenly losing much of her usual arrogant bravado, Ivy realised that her chances of escaping this situation unscathed were looking rather slim.

As she began to fear for herself, Barrett beckoned for a mike, still smiling smugly, as if having goons grab women and rough them up was an everyday occurrence in civilised society. He had a charismatic presence which demanded attention, even if Ivy tried to avoid the gaze he was directing at her. The other British wrestler towered over her, his dark hair slicked back immaculately and Nexus shirt clinging to every ounce of muscle underneath, giving an impression of a man that was refined, yet dangerous. He began to speak in a surprisingly friendly tone, though with the underlying menace and superior attitude that were his trademark.

"Good evening Ivy, and may I say what a pleasure it is to make your acquaintance. We haven't met before, but in case you weren't aware, we are the Nexus – the group that has been changing the landscape of this company. Now, Ivy…you may not have been around here for very long, but we in the Nexus have something of an eye for potential. We notice talent when we see it, and talent is what we have seen in you. As such, we are here to make you an offer."

An offer? What on earth…

"We are offering you the opportunity to join us."

What?

He continued, despite her stunned expression, "There is much we can offer you. The Nexus are, after all, the most dominant group in the WWE. In just a few short months on Monday Night Raw, we have ensured that we will go down in history. As one of us, you would be on a path to power and success, as my upcoming title shot demonstrates", somehow managing to look even more smug than usual as he said this.

"Now, it's your choice of course. But, should you choose to reject our frankly very reasonable offer, you should be aware that there will be consequences. You know what we did to Cena, what we did to McMahon, what we did to Bret Hart and anyone else we cared to destroy. You know what we will do to you if you refuse."

At this, Wade looked Ivy straight in the eye. "You're either Nexus, or you're against us. Now which is it going to be?"

Immediately he finished, as if for emphasis, the terrifying looking Michael Tarver stuck his foot in her back while maintaining his hold on her arms, making them feel like they were about to be ripped out of their socket. If this had been a match, even the tough Ivy would have tapped in seconds. All she could do was try in vain to escape Tarver's powerful grip and shriek her lungs out at the Nexus; the smug grins of Slater, Gabriel and Barrett only incensing her further

It seemed like an age to her, but within moments, Ivy was ready to agree to anything.

"I'll do it! I'll do it, just get off me!

Immediately, Tarver's grip on her was released and she fell to the mat with a thud. Before she could recover a shred of dignity, or look for a way out of the situation, Barrett stepped forward and held out a Nexus armband. She struggled to her feet, looking warily at the small black and yellow article in his outstretched hand.

Quietly, he muttered to her "Put it on now or we will put you out"

What else could she do?

Right now, Ivy had a WWE contract that she had worked so hard for. She knew that another one wouldn't be forthcoming if she got herself fired. She had already caused too much trouble with her rebellious ways in just a few short weeks. This job was her one big chance!

Silently, head downcast, she took the arm band and pulled it over her hand. As she slid it up to her bicep, Barrett grabbed her hand and raised it in triumph that the Nexus had, once again, got their way.

So much for staying out of trouble…

* * *

And so, the Nexus gains a new member. Next chapter, the reaction and what it means to be a part of Nexus.

If you can spare the time, I'd love to hear what you thought.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note:

Thanks again for the lovely reviews from humanoidaspect (again!), SandraSmit19, AGirlBrushedRed340, LivHardy and RickaRickaRicka (also again!).

I seem to have been particularly typo prone today when working on this. Think I've managed to sort them out, but if you spot any, do leave a virtual finger waggling. That'll teach me to write when tired!

A slightly longer chapter this time! If I don't get another one up before tomorrow night, as is quite likely, I hope you all enjoy Elimination Chamber (got my fingers crossed for a Slaybriel tag title win, and of course for Wade).

Anyhow, notes over, enjoy Chapter 4!

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**Cruel Device**

**Chapter 4**

As Raw went to commercial, the Nexus, complete with their newest member, left the ring and headed backstage. On their way to the Nexus dressing room, Ivy tried to ignore the mixture of curious and disgusted looks aimed her way from Superstars and backstage staff in the busy corridors.

She was aided by the distraction of Heath Slater's shout of "Welcome to Nexus!" while slapping her on the back enthusiastically. It took him a moment to realise why she yelped in pain and jumped away from him.

"Ah….umm…sorry about that, I forgot!" he said, offering an apologetic grin. "You know we didn't meant to put you in any real pain, sweetheart!"

Was this guy nuts? And who said he could call her sweetheart!

Soon enough, they arrived at the Nexus' dressing room. Most wrestlers and divas shared a larger room than this for storing gear, changing and preparing for matches, however, since the Nexus had caused so much trouble and made so many enemies in gaining their contracts, a separate room was always provided for them.

The men filed in, waiting for further instructions from their leader. Ivy stopped just inside the doorway, arms folded, caught between defiance and not wanting another taste of Tarver's nasty submission move. It was to her that Wade turned first, looking like the proverbial cat who'd got the cream.

"Welcome to Nexus Ivy. I'm sure you'll be happy that you made the right choice" ignoring her raised eyebrow at the insinuation she had had any choice at all. "I am equally sure you will make an excellent contribution to our achievements, just as we will assist you in yours. Now, to more serious business. Being one of us comes with certain rules. As a member of Nexus, you will travel with us, stay with us, train with us, support us in matches and in any…backstage altercations. You will not attempt to undermine the Nexus in any way and you will not fraternise with the WWE roster without my permission. The Nexus armband must be worn at all times in public. Most of all, you will follow my orders without question."

"Or you'll beat me up?", she challenged, showing the first hints of temper.

"Nothing so uncivilised my dear", he smirked. "Break these rules your WWE contract is forfeit"

Ivy was taken aback at this latest revelation "You can't do that! You've got nothing to do with my contract!"

"I think you'll find that we can. Any wrestler in the membership of Nexus must obey all instructions of the group's leader, myself, or they will be immediately be sacked from the Raw roster. The GM added it in when signing us all. He figured it was better to deal with one orderly group causing trouble than a whole lot of rogue agents. Why do you think Darren Young hasn't been seen on Raw since he started questioning our aims?"

Ivy hated the idea of having to follow Barrett's orders. She had no interest in the Nexus and their feuds, however attractive any assistance in her own career would be. It was just as William had said, a distraction that would take her eyes off the prize. More than that, it was not in her nature to be an obedient sort. Part of her arrogant attitude was that she always felt she knew better than anyone who tried to tell her what to do. Her mentor was an exception of course, but she had respected him for his work for years, and his wisdom had been emphasised throughout her time learning from him. But who was Wade to tell her what to do? Just months ago, he had been in her position, a rookie on Raw trying to fight against the system.

Trying to soften his voice to sound more agreeable, Barrett continued. "There's no need to get worked up about this. I am not an unreasonable man. Do you think the rest of the Nexus would ever have followed me if I were? Or if I did not deliver on my promises of success?"

Lowering her head, she knew that she had to do this. She had come so far. She couldn't give up on her dream of WWE glory. She would just have to grin and bear this.

Not willing to give him the satisfaction of her agreement, Ivy tried to change the subject. "My gear, it's in the women's changing room"

Smiling at the lack of an argument from his newest conscript, Wade waved Slater out of the room. "Heath, go and fetch it." Barrett didn't need to look in his direction to know that the redhead was grinning madly at this order. "And don't take all night perving over the divas, we have things to do. Ivy, the shower cubicles are through there, so you can clean up and get changed. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go out there and show Orton and Cena how I'm going to win the title this Sunday. David, Michael, if you would care to join me? Justin, you and Heath can stay here and look after the new First Lady of the Nexus."

Heath rushed off, delighted with his excuse to hang around the women of the WWE, while the other three wrestlers headed out to the main backstage area in preparation for Wade's match. Left alone with Justin Gabriel, Ivy felt rather awkward. What did one say in this situation? Oh hi, I'm being forced to associate with you under threat of losing my job and isn't the weather lovely?

Luckily, she wasn't forced to make the first move.

"Hey, I'm Justin", he offered, starting off the small talk.

"Ivy"

He smiled at her statement of the obvious. "Yeah. Good to have you with us. And sorry about, you know, the hassle"

Reminding her that she shouldn't be forced to be having this conversation just caused another awkward pause.

Like any young woman left alone with the newest WWE heartthrob, there was only one thing Ivy could say.

"Nice 450 splash"

Pleased to have found a topic of conversation that both could relate to, Justin's nervousness lifted slightly "Thanks. You've got some nice moves yourself"

"You've seen my matches?"

"Do you think we just decided to pick the first diva we came across? Give yourself some credit, we have rather higher standards than that! Heath saw you on NXT, thought you were good in the ring and would fit in with our aims, so we did some checking up and liked what we saw. You work a nice cruiserweight style, it's good to watch. What's that spear variation you do off the ropes? The one you do before you go for your finisher."

"That's the Poison Arrow"

"It's great. You really put your whole body into it. Most divas shy away from a style like that – they don't like to leave the ground at all as a rule."

"Too afraid of getting hurt I think. Or breaking a nail!"

"Yeah! Well, it's nice to see a girl with some aggression in her moveset!"

The bonding over lariats and Thesz presses halted when Heath entered with Ivy's gym bag. The South African turned to his usual tag team partner in surprise at his swift return.

"You're back quick, what happened?"

"Dibiase caught me talking to Maryse"

"And let me guess, he didn't appreciate you trying to pick up his girl?"

"Pick up his girl? As if I would! I just asked her which bag was Ivy's, and happened to comment on how pretty she was looking, and if she wasn't doing anything later, we were going to be heading out to a bar and it would be great to see her there too."

"Yeah, that's clearly completely different from trying to chat her up!"

Leaving the guys to their banter, Ivy excused herself. "I should go shower, back in a bit". She started raking through her bag in the basic stadium bathroom, setting out her street clothes, shampoo and a towel, while putting away her boots and pads. At least the shower cubicles locked! She didn't know what the guys in the Nexus were like, but William had warned her often enough that the privacy of the girls was not always respected by some of the Superstars. Luckily, her relatively low profile had so far allowed her to escape the unwanted attention that many of the Divas had to put up with from their male counterparts.

Taking the time to contemplate her change in circumstances, Ivy lingered in the shower until her fingers were starting to pickle and she could delay facing her new groupmates no longer. Still towelling her long dark hair, she took a deep breath and headed back out to the locker room. She found Heath and Justin were watching Raw on the small television in the corner, the tables match between Randy Orton and John Cena having just started. Alerted by the creak of the door, Heath called on her to join them.

"Hey sweetheart, come on over. You've not missed anything yet"

Ivy sat down on the locker room bench beside the pair, watching as the tables match was disrupted, first by the defending champion Sheamus, and then by the three Nexus members. Even Edge and Chris Jericho ended up brawling in the ring. Raw went off the air in its usual fracas, as Ivy considered the methods of her new team. Run ins like that had never been a part of her style up until now. She was not like Natalya, who, while being one of the most accomplished Divas, would always shake hands before and after a match, and even congratulate an opponent on a well-executed move. But trying to beat up an opponent at every opportunity outside of matches? That seemed like karmic retribution waiting to happen.

Her musings were interrupted by the return of Otunga, Tarver and Wade, the latter of whom made a point of looking at her arm to check the Nexus band was still in place.

Soon enough, the rest of Nexus were changed and ready to leave the arena. Heading out, Justin, David and Michael piled into one car, while Wade held open the door of a second for Ivy, as Heath clambered in to the driver's seat.

As their car moved out of the arena, Ivy spoke up, saying to the two men in the front seats, "I'm booked into the Holiday Inn on 6th Avenue, if you would just drop me off there."

"Nuhuh sweetheart, you're staying with us remember!"

Ivy sunk into her seat with a frustrated sigh.

* * *

Next chapter: The Nexus head out on the town in celebration of their newest member, and Ivy is not best impressed with the sleeping arrangements.


	5. Chapter 5

Hello again readers!

Did we all enjoy Elimination Chamber then?

Sorry this chapter has taken longer – busy week!

Plus I got a reply on twitter from Wade, so I've been pretty much dead with happiness for the last few days!

This one is a good bit longer than some of the chapters so far – do you prefer bigger updates less often or shorter ones regularly? Let me know in a review!

Thanks of course to reviewers Aquahogcodes, RickaRickaRicka, BananaFish33 and LivHardy!

And thank you to everyone who has been reading.

Anyway, here's chapter 5!

* * *

**Cruel Device**

**Chapter 5**

Ivy spent the rest of the journey to the hotel in stony silence, resenting this unwanted authority that had imposed itself on her. Their car pulled in just ahead of the other Nexus members and Heath helped the cranky Diva into the hotel with her bags.

Wade went to the counter, putting on his best charming English gentleman manners for the young woman behind the desk.

"Checking in please, three rooms, booked under Nexus. And I'd also like an additional single room please."

The receptionist left to get their keys, but apologised on her return.

"I'm terribly sorry sir, we have the three twin rooms you booked, but we don't have any extra spaces tonight. There are some big events in town this week and we're all full up."

Wade turned to the group, looking thoughtful for a moment. Sensing her chance, Ivy jumped in.

"It's fine, I still have my reservation for tonight. If one of you will run me over there, I can meet you tomorrow."

Uhoh, she could see the beginnings of a smirk forming. That wasn't a good sign.

"No Ivy, I'm sure that won't be necessary. After all, we booked in here before Sheffield got injured, so we have three twin rooms and there are six of us"

"I'm not sharing a room with one of you!"

"Yes, you are" Normal service resumed as charming Wade was swiftly replaced with his usual smugness.

"I need my own room!"

"I'm sorry, let me just go over this to make sure I understand. Are you saying you won't do as I tell you?"

Ivy could only repeat a mantra of "think of your job, think of your job" in her head, as Barrett handed out keys to the other men. Michael and David roomed together; both got on well and had young families at home who they often spent their evenings catching up with. Heath and Justin were a constant pair. So that just left…

Ivy groaned at the realisation that she was being forced to share with the man who seemed intent in revelling in his power over her.

As soon as keys were arranged and room numbers checked, the Nexus headed for the elevators with Wade reminding them of the evening's plans. "Right, we're going to head out to a bar in about half an hour, so meet us downstairs at midnight."

The last thing Ivy wanted right now was a night on the town. A long soak in the bath, followed by a good night's sleep, would hopefully help her recover from the aches and pains of the evening, as well as the stresses of being under Wade's thumb. "Actually, I'm good. I'm tired from my match and I feel like an early night, so I think I'll decline for this evening."

"Maybe you didn't hear me correctly earlier. Where we go, you go, got it?"

Feeling her temper rising at being pushed around, and knowing the trouble that could get her into, Ivy made a massive effort to hold her tongue. "Fine", she muttered through grinding teeth.

"Good girl", Barrett approved condescendingly as she glared daggers at him. "After all, how can we celebrate our newest member if she isn't present?"

Snatching her key out of his hand, she grabbed her bags and followed the other Nexus members to the elevator, Wade sauntering behind her. Reaching their room, just down the hall from the other four, Ivy let Wade go in first, expecting that if she laid any sort of claim to a bed, she would let herself in for yet more humiliation. And if he tried that one more time, she may not be able to hold herself back. Job or no job, a few hours being pushed around by Wade Barrett was becoming more than she could stand!

She was given permission to use the bathroom first, and headed in to get changed. "Wear something nice!", Wade shouted after her, luckily not seeing the middle fingers Ivy waved in his direction as soon as the door was shut. Deciding against getting too dressed up, just in case anyone thought she was in much of a mood for celebrating, she grabbed some tight black jeans, a black halter neck top with gold detailing and a low cowl neck, and her favourite smart leather jacket. Leaving the bathroom for her new room mate, she hopped on to her bed to apply some makeup. Again, she decided against anything too fancy, putting on foundation, eyeliner, mascara and a plum shade of lipstick that gave more of a Warning! Stay Away! impression than "Come hither". She was putting her makeup away in its bag when Wade emerged from the bathroom, in a stylish and expensive looking suit.

Ivy couldn't help but be taken aback at the sight.

Wade Barrett in a suit was really quite different from Wade Barrett in wrestling trunks and Nexus shirt. Refined, and possibly even, perish the thought, handsome? Shocked at the sudden appearance of a man who looked practically civilised in comparison to the smug brute who had been tormenting her, Ivy didn't realise that she was staring at him. Wade, on the other hand, responded to her gaze with his default expression – smug grin.

"I think we can head downstairs then and wait for the rest. If you're quite finished admiring the view of course", gloating at her reaction to him.

As Ivy immediately looked anywhere in the room but at her new leader, he inquired "Where's your armband?"

Pulling one arm out of the sleeve of her leather jacket, she showed him the small piece of black material on her bicep. "Happy?"

He nodded approvingly, smirking at her flustered tone.

"Where's yours then?" She challenged him, trying to regain some sort of advantage.

He grinned in what seemed to be genuine amusement at her audacity, then quietly removed his suit jacket and showed her the armband over his expensive-looking designer shirt.

"Don't worry, I am more than proud of my work in the Nexus, as you will be soon. Shall we?" he asked, offering her his arm. Ivy took it, putting on a haughty attitude that wouldn't have been out of place on Maryse. After a silent and awkward elevator trip, they stepped out into the lobby to meet Michael and David. Heath and Justin arrived a short while after, arguing in their usual way over who had taken longer in the bathroom.

Their destination was a typical trendy bar, just a short walk from the hotel, complete with neon lighting, loud drinkers and even louder music - not exactly what she needed after the day she'd had! In truth, Ivy was not much of a visitor to bars in general. Back home in England, she liked traditional old pubs – comfortable leather armchairs, maybe an open fire, perfect for relaxing and chatting with friends. Not one of these dark crowded places where you couldn't even get near the bar!

The Nexus situated themselves at a large private table in the corner of the bar. Sandwiched between five tall muscular guys, Ivy felt slightly happier that she wouldn't have to deal with any chat up lines. Of course, she hadn't reckoned on being sat next to Heath Slater.

"No hot minidress?" The redhead pouted at her.

"Not if I can avoid it, they're rather impractical"

"Yeah, but you can snag more guys with one, naw mean?"

"Who says I want to attract guys, Mr Fashion Guru?"

"Oh, so you have a boyfriend?"

"No, I've been rather busy with my career for a relationship, and travel exactly doesn't lend itself well to such matters"

"Unless you hook up with someone who is travelling too…"

"Slater, if you wiggle your eyebrows any harder, they're going to fall off"

"She's got your number ginger!" Tarver exclaimed, guffawing in delight at Heath's crestfallen reaction to having his flirting attempts shot down.

Ivy was rather bemused at the change in Michael when not in a wrestling environment, considering that just a few hours ago, he had been trying to rip her arms out of her sockets while looking like a manic psycho. Indeed, seen in this situation, the men of Nexus were all rather different to her expectations. On Raw, they were seen as a pack of wild dogs, an unruly mob that destroyed anything and everything in their path. Other than Wade, they rarely spoke, relying on silent menace and devastating violence to do the talking for them.

But up close, they seemed altogether quite different. From their chat earlier, Justin had seemed a nice guy, not the sort who would get caught up in a gang of thugs. Justin was chatting amicably to Heath, who, after having spent only one evening with, Ivy would never be able to take seriously as at all scary. Next was David Otunga, used to red carpet events and celebrity parties, looking cool in the corner. He had been perfectly polite to her so far. And then there was Tarver himself, showing a sense of humour that she wouldn't have believed came from the same intimidating masked wrestler.

So far, apart from Barrett's cocky attitude and insistence on bossing her about, they had treated her well. Even now, they were attempting to actually be friendly and include her in conversation. Since this trip was ostensibly to celebrate her joining Nexus, the guys made sure that she didn't have to buy herself a drink all night. Luckily, the bar did a nice line in non-alcoholic cocktails!

"You don't drink?" Justin had asked after a couple of rounds.

"Nope, I'm fussy about such things. Far too many calories."

"I doubt a girl who looks like you has to worry about calories!"

"If I decide to do something, I prefer to do it right. And in our line of work, I want to make sure I'm at peak fitness. Hangovers and extra weight don't help! And I don't like anything that takes me out of control of a situation", finishing this last remark with a pointed look at Barrett.

"That's admirable dedication Ivy", he replied to her challenging look.

"I don't settle for achieving anything other than the best."

To this, he responded only by raising his glass to her.

"So Ivy, you're from England, huh?" Heath was physically incapable of staying quiet for long.

"Sure am."

"Whereabouts?"

"Slater, is your English geography really that good?"

"I know London!"

"And….?"

"Umm, wherever Wade's from? That's not London right?"

"Damn right Manchester is not!" Barrett interjected. "Don't lump me in with those Southern prats."

"But you're not from Manchester right?" Heath persisted.

"Accent give it away?" Ivy had a rather distinctive English accent, with clear diction and an impression of high culture; closer to Regal's slightly pompous voice than Wade's deep rough northern speech.

"Yeah, unlike with Wade, we can actually understand what you're saying! Until you came along, I wasn't sure that the letter T was even used in England" Justin offered.

Barrett merely raised his eyebrows in reply. "Are you really in a position to talk about accents Gabriel? It's a good thing you're pretty, otherwise you'd need a translator to come on to a girl"

Ivy was quite surprised at the leader's engagement in banter like this. She hadn't thought of Wade as the sort to put up with much disrespect, even if intended as humour, but even he seemed quite relaxed in these surroundings. Yes, this group was very interesting!

"Sorry to disappoint, but I'm nearer London than…not London. So, a Southern prat!"

"Now, isn't that surprising", Barrett commented, regarding her with an appraising look.

"How so?"

"Southerners, particularly with a voice like yours, tend to be a bit afraid getting their hands dirty. Too posh. Not the sort of person to have ever had to fight in streets and bars. And yet, here you are, an evidently educated higher class young lady, roughing it up in the WWE. So dedicated to it and hell bent on succeeding too. Now why is that I wonder? Very interesting indeed."

As he mused aloud on this, Wade noticed Ivy had stiffened and was avoiding further eye contact. Her background was a definite sore point, he noted for future reference. Heath was about to leap in with another question but Wade stopped him with a wave of his hand. "Now, now, leave her be Slater. She'll come out of her shell in her own time". After all, he did enjoy a good puzzle, and there was no fun in it if someone else solved it first.

The group stayed and drank for a couple of hours more. Justin had relieved some of the tension of Ivy and Wade's little face-off by insisting on dragging her up to dance, earning her some jealous looks from the female patrons of the bar. And it was difficult to remain grumpy with a slightly tipsy Heath practicing his best chat-up lines, including such classics as "You must be from Pearl Harbor, because baby, you're the bomb".

Ivy nipped to the bathroom, navigating her way past girls in various stages of inebriation, while the guys prepared to leave. Wade kept an eye on her as she went, whether to make certain she was safe from any unwanted attention or that she wasn't trying to run off on them, she wasn't sure.

Heath also noticed this and couldn't resist commenting. "You never know you might have an enjoyable night."

"What?"

"Lots of girls like to sleep naked!"

"Slater?"

"Yep?"

"Do shut up."

As it turned out, Heath would have been quite disappointed. Despite himself, Wade found himself remembering Slater's words back at their hotel room, and couldn't help but turn around when Ivy emerged out of the bathroom. An Attitude era Steve Austin shirt and flannel pyjama bottoms. Not quite what most men would hope to find a Diva wearing in their bedroom. Almost immediately, Ivy noticed Wade looking at her. Just as she had stared at him earlier, she noted. At least she got some revenge for that! "What? I don't have to wear the armband to bed do I?" she asked, rolling her eyes, as she moved to flop down on her bed.

After tying her long hair back, Ivy grabbed some ibuprofen gel out of her bag, back still hurting from the move Tarver had pulled on her earlier. She winced as she tried to get her aching arms into a position where she could reach the sorest parts.

"Here, let me help." Before she had even realised it, Wade had moved to the side of her bed.

Surprised at the sudden generosity from the usually smug wrestler, Ivy tried to decline, saying "It's ok thanks, I've got it."

"Don't be stubborn" Taking the gel out of her hand and moving behind her, he told her "Lift up the back of your shirt" in a tone that was certainly an instruction rather than a request.

His large, slightly rough hands massaged the gel into her back, their warmth helping to sooth her aches somewhat. It wasn't just warmth from his hands she could feel, but his whole body close behind her. She was even close enough to smell his aftershave as he leaned forward to reach her shoulder. Ivy suddenly became very aware of having to stay, at least for tonight, with this man she barely knew. What if he…

"Right, you're done" he announced, suddenly breaking into her thoughts.

After a stunned pause, remembering her manners, she thanked him.

"Don't mention it. We need you fighting fit after all."

With that, Barrett returned to his own bed where he had been lying reading a novel. No doubt something light, humourous and not at all Machiavellian, she reasoned, trying to clear her worries with some sarcastic humour. It didn't work. Even after some proof this evening that the Nexus were indeed human, this little exchange in the bedroom had reinforced her more than awkward position.

Despite having much to think about that would have kept her awake on a normal night, between a tough match and her change in circumstances, Ivy was completely exhausted and ready to drop off to sleep immediately. Setting her phone alarm for a leisurely ten am, she noticed a text message alert.

It said simply "I'm expecting a very good explanation for this".

Ugh, she would deal with Regal tomorrow. Maybe it would all be a bad dream by then?

* * *

Next chapter:

A day in the life of a Nexus member. Roadtrip!


	6. Chapter 6

Ok, I've split this chapter into two again. The length was getting rather out of hand and I wanted to get something posted before a busy weekend plays havoc with my writing time.

Props to my awesome reviewers: MoonyMoonsault, BananaFish33, joolR, RickaRickaRicka, humanoidaspect and OriginalBP!

The reviews have really been making me smile the last few days, so thank you all so much for taking the time to comment!

* * *

**Cruel Device**

**Chapter 6**

Yes! She had done it! She was the Divas Champion!

In her delight, Ivy hopped up onto the turnbuckle, brandishing the belt at the crowd and then at the camera, taunting everybody who had ever doubted her.

And then she was pushed over.

The guest referee!

She fell off the turnbuckle, and even as she crashed to the mat, guest official Mickey Mouse continued to push her and prod her in the side.

"Up! Now"

That didn't sound like the Mickey Mouse….in fact it sounded like…

Barrett.

The Wrestlemania ring, title belt, inexplicable appearance of a cartoon mouse and everything else disappeared as Ivy lurched into consciousness.

Horrible horrible consciousness! Complete with a bossy smug git trying to make her get out of bed.

She tried pretending she was still asleep, hoping that he would take the hint and go away. No such luck. He was still yelling.

"I'm not in a mood for playing games. Get up!"

"I'm tired, go away!"

Barrett responded by grabbing her feet and dragging her straight out of her bed.

A particularly choice selection of swear words came from the blanket-covered heap on the floor at this rude awakening (including a few that Barrett doubted he would hear again after having left Britain).

"I'll put that little outburst down to you being not quite conscious yet. I'm sure you wouldn't be making such suggestions about the sexual preferences of the person holding your contract if you knew where you were, now would you Ivy? Downstairs ready for breakfast in ten minutes!" With that, the Nexus leader swooped out of the room, in time to miss the makeup bag thrown at the door after him.

Sure enough, ten minutes later, a bleary-eyed Diva, straight out of the shower and wrapped up in a hoodie in an attempt to avoid the world, stepped out of the elevator and stomped her way to the hotel restaurant in the manner of a cranky toddler.

"You look even more worse for wear than Heath does" Justin noted, as Ivy arrived beside him "And at least he was drinking last night!"

"If I don't get some coffee in the next two minutes, I swear I will unleash carnage beyond anything the Nexus have done on Raw so far".

"Ah, you're a morning person then!" The South African joked. He was disgustingly chirpy for such an unthinkable time of the morning. Ivy just groaned in response and retreated further inside her hood.

The restaurant was busy already, even before most hotel guests were up. There were a few other wrestlers in the restaurant as well, all making a point of keeping a safe distance from the group. Attracting the attention of Nexus tended to have a detrimental effect on one's health. On this occasion, they were spared, as the Nexus attacked the buffet tables with a ferocity usually reserved for demolishing WWE superstars. In an attempt to get as much protein as possible, Wade loaded his plate with every imaginable type of eggs. Most of the guys followed his lead, sometimes combined with oatmeal or muesli. Heath had a plate of pancakes with syrup, with the promise that he would work extra hard in the gym afterwards. Ivy had her usual bowl of fruit, giving in to an indulgence of some hash browns due to her bad mood. She also brought three of the ridiculously tiny cups of coffee back to the table for herself. Really, she had only stopped at three because she was getting glowered at by tourists for monopolising the coffee machine.

As they ate, Barrett outlined the plan for the day: a few hours at the gym, then driving to the location of tomorrow's house show. Spending most of the day cooped up in a car with these guys did not seem likely to be something that would improve Ivy's mood, especially with the amount of coffee she was going to have to drink just to stay awake.

The gym was not far from the hotel, even if it did mean going outside in the horrid evil sunlight. After warming up, the guys immediately all made beelines for the weights, while Ivy hopped on to the treadmill to get started on some cardio.

Even in an unfamiliar gym in a new city, most wrestlers seemed more at home at the gym than in their own house. Fitness was an integral part of life in the WWE, with some of the most dedicated Superstars training up to nine hours a day. Divas usually spent less time than their male counterparts working out, only two to three hours in most cases.

Ivy preferred to do as much as she could. Huge muscles on a female wrestler tended to look awful, but there was more to do than just lift weights. She felt a real need to improve her strength and conditioning, and Divas were expected to ensure every inch of their body looked toned and perfect. If her ringwork and image were improved by a little extra work, then that's what it would take. She knew that as someone who was outspoken on the state of the Divas division and attitudes to female talent within the company, she needed to make sure she didn't give anyone an excuse to get rid of her.

Her usual gym schedule was to head to a new venue and then work out for about four hours, so that she could quickly collapse into a warm bath and bed afterwards. As such, this Nexus method of working out before travel rankled a little - several hours cooped up in a car was hardly as much motivation to kick ass in her work out as snuggling up in front of an old movie with room service.

Still, she was not going to let herself be picked up for slacking. Her new team mates needed to be shown that she was a force to be reckoned with, early morning or no. Putting on her workout playlist, she broke into a steady run, tuning out all distractions. On one occasion, she had left her ipod in her hotel room and assumed she would be fine to head to the gym without it. After constant noise and distractions, an inability to lift as much as usual and, to cap it all off, dropping a massive dumbbell on her foot, she made sure never to forget her music again. Running was followed by a variety of toning exercises, before she too made her way to the weights.

By this point, Heath and Michael were working with punch bags. To be more accurate, Michael was practicing his devastating knockout punch while Heath talked trash to his more than he punched it. The other three were still on weights; Wade using the lateral pulldown machine, while Justin and David were taking turns to spot each other on a bench press, complete with the usual macho banter over who could lift the most. She noticed several glances in her direction as she moved to get started. Evidently, the Nexus were keen to see what a woman could do, and Ivy had no intention of letting herself down, setting the machines up to lift a large amount of weight for someone her size, and tackling an ambitious number of reps on each one.

For variety's sake, she tended to take weight machines in whatever order they were laid out in the gym, rather than having a specific routine for which to visit when. Unfortunately, on this day, that meant leaving the leg press, her least favourite, until last. An old knee injury from a skiing accident in her teens had left her right knee a bit weak. Her range of movement had been limited in it for at least a year and while it had healed now, her legs were a bit less developed in terms of muscle.

It was the leg press she was working on when Justin, having just finished up with his own workout, walked over to check on her.

"How are you getting on?"

"Fine" she muttered through gritted teeth. "I just hate the leg press."

"How many more have you got to do?"

"Another fifteen still."

"Not many to go then. Come on, I'll stay here til you finish."

With Justin beside her, she slowly managed a few more, her eyes clenched shut and breathing heavy from the exertion. She didn't notice the appearance of another team mate, though one less inclined to cheerleading.

"Just give up on her Gabriel. She won't manage it. She isn't strong enough."

Ivy's eyes shot open to see Justin giving their leader an exasperated look for his dismissive comments.

"What? You can't expect her to keep up with us!"

If there was one thing that got Ivy fired up, it was being told she was incapable of doing something.

This defiant streak gave her the motivation she needed to knock out the final eight repetitions. Every single one accompanied by a constant glare at Barrett. It was amazing how resentment of one slick-haired git could provide enough power to push through.

Her legs were killing her now, but that was Ivy - someone who would do whatever it took to get one up on someone who doubted her. As she'd so often been told, she would cut off her nose to spite her face.

Sweat dripping into her eyes, she grinned triumphantly up at Barrett, but was shocked when he matched her grin with one of his own.

"See, I knew you could do it. You just needed a little extra motivation."

He gave her a wink that might be charming from someone else, then turned and headed out of the gym, leaving a spluttering Ivy behind him.

Justin wondered if he should start taking bets on how long it would be before the Nexus diva threw a dumbbell at their glorious leader.

* * *

So, the road trip should be in the next chapter. Maybe Wade will be a little nicer! Assuming my word count doesn't spiral completely out of control again, Ivy also gets a chance to catch up with Regal too. Hope you enjoyed!


	7. Chapter 7

Cruel Device

Chapter 7

I had written heaps more of this story, when I got rather distracted and stopped updating. I've been wondering about polishing some of it up and posting more for a while. Most of the angles and even wrestlers featured are rather consigned to history now, but hey, why not? Better than it sitting on my hard drive unseen forever! Anyway, here's a longish chapter if anyone is interested.

* * *

Suitably exhausted from her workout, Ivy now had the prospect of a long car ride ahead. As with last night, she ended up in a car with Wade and Heath, with the redhead telling her, in conspiratorial sympathy over the enforced early rise, to take the back seat so she could stretch out and relax.

Well, in theory anyway.

In practice, the double act in the front seats proved rather too much of a distraction for her to doze off despite chilled music coming through her headphones. Wade, as navigator, continued in his usual bossy manner, insisted on constantly critiquing Heath's driving for the entire journey. Whether it be overtaking too recklessly, not overtaking enough, driving too slow, driving too fast, missing a turn off or anticipating one too far in advance, the redhead got the blame for everything. Ivy could have sworn that Barrett had some sort of allergy to not being in control of a situation.

Eventually, she was unable to turn up the volume on her headphones any more to drown them out, and so waded in to the tiff.

"Why don't you drive then if it bothers you so much?"

Luckily, Wade did not pull her up for her disrespect, especially not when there was an opportunity at hand to complain about the way things ran in the United States. "I hate driving in this stupid country. They drive on the wrong side of the road! And there are all these tollbooths to navigate, and truckers who want to squash you like a bug. Even if I sometimes wonder if taking my life in my hands as Heath's passenger is worth it."

Ivy had to sigh in agreement with some of that. She hated driving in the USA too and avoided it as much as possible. Trying to be conciliatory, she continued, "Heath doesn't seem that bad a driver, but, to be fair, the freeways here are very straight and flat. Some of the little roads out in the country back home are so twisty they are guaranteed make me puke."

With a triumphant smile, Barrett turned to her at this. "Ah yes Ivy, you never did say last night where in England you are from?"

Rats, she had walked into that one, hadn't she?

"Yes, my family live in the country", she replied, trying to be nonchalant and not let him see that she was trying to keep things from him.

"Whereabouts?"

"About an hour from London", Ivy offered, keeping it suitably vague. Most of the UK's entire population probably lived within an hour of London after all.

She had absolutely no intention of letting Wade Barrett of all people find out about her past. In the 'E, so much emphasis was being placed on being a legitimately tough competitor, not some posh brat playing at slumming it. Heck, Ted Dibiase may not have made many friends in the locker room with his sense of entitlement, but the fact he had got himself a contract based on daddy's money made it even worse. Wade Barrett himself was famously considered to be a tough competitor thanks to his years of bare knuckle boxing. This was even more the case with a diva trying to be taken seriously as a competitor in a division full of bikini models. No, she wouldn't be letting anything slip to this slimy git.

Luckily, the irrepressible Heath Slater changed the subject and the trio was swiftly engrossed in talking shop. Putting several wrestlers together, especially those with experience and training from a number of different regions, meant that comparison of matches, promos and moves was common. The talk turned to how they had developed their finishers and then gone on to name them. Heath's Ginger Snap was probably the sort of cheesy pun that could be expected from the shameless joker. Wade's Wasteland, likewise, suited the articulate bruiser well, combining an allusion to one of the greatest English poems with sounding tough enough for a man who had fought for money on the streets of Europe. Ivy was amused that it was apparently not obvious how the Hemlock got its name, with Heath even thinking it was a reference to former diva Christy Hemme. Evidently, the West Virginian didn't know too much about Socrates! She was glad for the distraction though. Between this and her chat with Justin Gabriel the night before, she had found that talking about their shared passion was one way to feel less alone in this strange and unwelcome situation.

After a couple of hours on the freeway, they pulled off and headed in to a small road-side town for lunch. The only place they saw open for food was proper truck stop café, so it was there that they parked up and headed inside. Ivy always liked places like these. They were so different to anything she was used to back home. She rarely got bothered by anyone, thanks to her tough appearance and occasional glowering looks if anybody tried to get fresh with her.

Heath, with an eye to saving time on the road, thought that it was best to fill up the car with gas now, while they were waiting for a meal to come, rather than wasting time once they were finished. He told Wade to get him some form of burger and headed out to bring the car over to the gas station around the other side of the building, leaving Ivy alone with Barrett.

Lunch with her new boss, all 6'5" of smugness. Joy…

As the pair seated themselves at a booth, Ivy's bag fell out of her hands, spilling its contents on the floor. Wade immediately moved to retrieve the various pens, receipts, wallet and such.

Rather than be polite and thankful, a still-cranky Ivy couldn't help but look a gift horse in the mouth.

"Why do you do that?"

"What?"

"Suddenly decide to be nice and helpful after being a jerk all day. You were the exact same last night – helping me with my back after bossing me around all night."

"Am I being a jerk?" Wade looked at her with an angelic expression that suggested butter wouldn't melt in his mouth.

"Do you really think you can get away with the wide-eyed innocent look? I'm not convinced it matches the broken nose and sleazeball hair."

"Now who's behaving like a jerk?" he queried, to an answering glower from the diva opposite. "That's a good sign though" he continued with a tone of superiority.

"A good sign?" she spluttered.

"As long as you remember your place, it's good that you don't take any nonsense. We don't want any pushovers wearing the armband. A bit of spirit is good, as long as you direct it against our enemies and do as you're told." Leaning back in his seat, he continued "As to why I behave the way I do, you may think I am being tough on you, but you still have a long way to go to prove yourself in the Nexus."

The mere suggestion of a man telling her to "remember her place" had aroused Ivy's temper, but the laughable idea of having to prove herself to him brought an excellent approximation of the famous People's Eyebrow to her face. "So you thought enough of me to force me into your little gang, and now I'm expected to want to prove myself to you?", unsure of whether to hit him or laugh in his face at the ludicrous nature of his suggestion.

"You did this morning", he smirked.

Ivy ignored that point, but her new boss continued in the overwhelmingly patronising tone he used so frequently.

"You are the first Nexus member that wasn't one of our original eight. Myself and the rest, we went through a lot together. If it weren't for the experiences we had on NXT, there wouldn't be a group. Forged in the fire of adversity one might say. And that came with a certain level of trust. You've shown us that you can fight, but that's not all that it means to be a part of Nexus. You're determined to succeed, yes, and you evidently agree that the system is holding people like us down. But we don't know you. We don't know what your background is, what makes you tick, what your weaknesses are. The Nexus make powerful enemies, Ivy, and we can't trust you until we understand you properly. Right now, we don't know that you would give the same for our cause that any of us would. We don't know that you wouldn't sell us out for a title shot or a big cheque. We don't know where your loyalties are".

"My loyalties are to myself", Ivy interrupted.

"Precisely. Not to us."

Noticing a few interested looks from other diners thinking they were witnessing a domestic between a couple, Ivy slid into her seat and dropped her voice to an aggressive hiss at him. "And how, exactly, is ordering me around meant to entice me to be loyal to you? Have you really thought this through? How do you expect to trust someone that didn't even choose to join you in the first place?"

He just sat back and smirked, infuriating her even more.

"What I wouldn't give to wipe that smirk off your face?"

"Really?" he smirked, quirking his eyebrows in a gesture rife with innuendo.

Ugh, that just made it worse.

"Well, if you're offering I could think of a few things you could do…"

"You're as bad as the ginger!" she exclaimed, cutting him off. There had been enough indignities in the last couple of days without Wade Barrett flirting with her.

"Oh, I think you'll find I'm much better than Slater. In every way."

"Dream on Barrett" she shot back.

Heath returned to find Ivy head down on the table in theatrical despair.

Patting her on the back as he settled down in the booth beside her, he snickered "I didn't think the food here was that bad Ivybaby!"

A groan was his only response. Nevertheless, frustrating though talking with Barrett was, Ivy had got some useful information from their little skirmish. She now realised that he was determined to find out more about her, if only to somehow make her trustworthy in his eyes. She already understood that weaknesses and vices were considered fair game in the WWE, a place where big matches and title shots came to whoever was in favour at a given moment, and where having the respect of the locker room meant more than anything else. Equally, if someone's past or habits were not what was expected of a top level superstar, they could easily bring problems for a group like the Nexus, where there were many waiting in the wings to see the upstart bunch of rookies get the comeuppance they deserved. But, if they forced her into this, she felt little incentive to win their trust. If this slimy domineering git wanted to try and find out her secrets, Ivy vowed that he would be waiting a long time.

Lunch over with, they were soon on the road again. Within a few hours they reached the latest city on WWE's never ending tour. One of the problems with visiting a different city each day was having to find your way around a totally unfamiliar landscape. Rental cars with sat nav were not usually top of the priorities list for most wrestlers when money could be saved with a good old-fashioned map. As such, it was perhaps not too surprising that, despite Wade and Heath's best efforts, they got lost and managed to go past the same park six times. In a strike for feminists everywhere, Ivy, who was needing another coffee rather badly, grabbed the map off Wade and managed to navigate them to their hotel.

The other three Nexus members had been there some time when the stragglers entered the lobby. "We were about to send out a search party" Justin said to Ivy, patting her on the shoulder with a smile. "You survived then?"

"If I were you, I'd be more surprised that they did" she replied, making a beeline for the coffee machine before even picking up her keys.

When they checked in and arranged rooms before dumping their luggage, Ivy once again found herself sharing a room with Wade. She was unconvinced that this was simply due to lack of space or even an issue of him wanting to keep a close eye on her. It wouldn't be surprising if word got back to the locker room somehow that they were sharing a room, and any woman who got involved with Barrett would no doubt be singled out for trouble if she didn't stay within the protective Nexus. Quite possibly he was banking on her realising that and realising she had little choice but to stick with the group. Infuriatingly, he seemed to be getting exactly what he wanted from her.

Soon, they were heading the short distance to the arena. The house show was something of a revelation. Not for any of the matches on the card, but for the way that people reacted so differently to Ivy now that she was a member of the Nexus.

At first, she had been irritated by Barrett's insistence that Slater and Gabriel accompany her when she left the Nexus locker room to find out about the details of her match. Going by some of the looks being shot her way and whispers at the sight of her, perhaps he had other reasons behind it than simply annoying her further.

Details of the evening's matches were posted on a board outside the catering area and that was where Ivy, Heath and Justin headed. A match against Melina would no doubt be a challenge for her, but she had to up her game if she was to have a hope at a title shot. Heath and Justin were also in action and Wade would be part of a Fatal Four Way main event. With the matches fixed, Wade went over the game plan for the evening on their return. Michael and David were instructed to accompany Ivy to the ring, and all three of them would head out to ensure victory in the tag team match. He would go alone but expected the cavalry to head out if necessary.

Since her match was third on the card, Ivy started her warm up shortly after. Normally, she would find an abandoned corridor and prepare for her match there, but that was not likely to happen with Barrett so intent on keeping tabs on her. Doing her stretches, push-ups and squats in front of the rest of the Nexus was not her preferred method of warming up, not least because she was convinced Slater was staring at her ass, but she managed to muster just enough focus to get through her routine. Certainly, she did not need to worry about getting in the mood to dish out some violence tonight. Not with Wade Barrett around. As she headed out to the stage area with Otunga and Tarver, he caught her arm and gave her the parting message "Your first match as one of us, make sure you don't disappoint". Git.

It was, as Ivy had expected, a challenging match. The two divas were evenly matched for the most part. Had it not been for her unexpected advantage, Ivy may not have been able to overcome her opponent. However, the former Diva's Champion she faced was clearly distracted, eyes constantly darting to the two men in Nexus shirts lurking at the ring apron.

Though they did not get involved physically, Otunga distracted the referee during a pin attempt on Ivy. Melina came over to regain the referee's attention and on turning around to resume her attack, walked straight into Ivy's Poison Arrow. There was a quick pinfall, and Ivy achieved her first victory as a Nexus member.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, considering the nature of her victory, the celebration was short-lived. As the referee held up her hand, she was hit from behind by an enraged Melina, raging at having fallen for the Nexus tricks. Abandoning technique and strategy, she launched herself at Ivy, trying to grab her hair and scratch her face with long fingernails. All the while, the former Red Carpet Diva was screaming abuse. "Is this how you think you're going to get ahead, you bitch? Joining those animals?! I bet you're screwing them all already!". Before this, Ivy had been merely trying to fend off Melina's attacks, but such accusations brought her own temper to the fore and she now fought back with equal ferocity.

As the referee made his best attempt to separate the women, David and Michael had hopped up on to the ring apron, ducking under the ropes in unison. Nobody was to find out how they would have managed to pull the two apart, as John Morrison, still in street clothes, raced down the ramp to defend his on and off girlfriend. He started cleaning house, throwing Otunga out of the ring and then going toe to toe with Tarver.

Heath and Justin, still in ring gear from their earlier victory, ran down to the ring to join the melee, quickly turning the tables in the favour of Nexus and overcoming Morrison through sheer numbers.

In a strange fit of chivalry, Melina was left to Ivy to dispense with. The young diva hoisted her opponent up and threw her over the top rope to the floor outside. In what was likely a combination of pain and not being willing to face the brute force being inflicted on her boyfriend in the ring, Melina stayed where she had landed.

Morrison was less fortunate, taking the now traditional gauntlet of each Nexus finisher in turn, ending with Justin's 450 splash. With the encouragement of the men, Ivy even went so far as to put the soon semiconscious superstar in the Hemlock. With a clearer head, she might have acknowledged that this was just asking for trouble, but being attacked after a match was not likely to put her in a brilliant mood either. Still, joining in like this marked her as indisputably a willing part of the Nexus. There was very little chance of her being able to go back now.

"Thanks for the help guys", Ivy piped up as she caught her breath on the way back to the team's locker room. The guys acknowledged her gratitude and waved the matter off, though an excited Heath couldn't resist a chance to flirt. "Don't mention it Ivybaby. Putting Morrison in his place is always fun and doing it for our favourite diva is just the icing on the cake".

Barrett was waiting for them there, still warming up for his own main event match. "Well done Ivy. I'm glad to see you are pulling your weight. And I hope you appreciate just how useful it is to have the support of a group of like-minded wrestlers", he commented, trademark smirk in place.

She hated how conveniently he seemed to have arranged matters, so that she had no choice but to follow his orders and no chance to escape doing exactly what he expected of her. Very little annoyed Ivy Venom more than someone trying to manipulate her. It was no surprise then, that she felt less charitable to her dictatorial leader than to her team mates.

"I got this far on my own, it looks like being made to join you lot has just painted a big target on my back" she growled, pushing past him on her way to the shower.

By the time she had spent a long time under the hot water calming herself down, the show was just about over. The Nexus headed out for a late dinner together at a nearby diner, but decided to call it an early night as they had another house show the next day. Wade hung back to talk to David and Michael for a while about some strategic decisions for the next couple of shows. Ivy was told to go on up to the room she would again be sharing with the group's leader. Riding up in the elevator, she breathed a little easier at the chance of some time alone. Some space to chill and think was exactly what she needed.

Not that it could last very long, she realised with a groan. She still owed her mentor a phone call.

Ivy was soon in her room and making herself comfortable on the bed, kicking off her shoes and arranging pillows underneath her still sore back. Unable to delay it any longer, she grabbed her phone and dialled Regal's number, wincing in anticipation of the lecture she was no doubt about to receive.

William answered the phone with a tone dripping in sarcasm. "Well, well, well, if it isn't Little Miss Nexus!"

"Little Miss Nexus? Sounds like a rather unsuccessful kids' book there, boss!" Ivy joked, trying to lighten the mood.

It didn't work. "Enough of the wisecracks from you! What's going on Ivy?"

"I'm sorry I didn't phone sooner, this is the first time to myself I've had since…." she trailed off, somewhat unsure of how to refer to recent events.

"They're keeping a close eye on you then, I take it?"

"That's an understatement".

"Well, what else did you expect? Didn't I just tell you the other night not to go getting involved in all of the drama around here?!"

"Did you see what they did? They didn't exactly give me much choice!"

"An agreement made in those circumstances is hardly binding! And from what I hear, you didn't do what I would have done and walked away at the first opportunity."

Ivy explained to him how she had little choice but to stay with the Nexus if she wanted to keep her job. "By putting on the armband, I've got to do everything that brute Barrett says. Travel with them, train with them, fight with them… whatever he wants, I do it or my contract goes up in smoke".

Regal sighed. Ivy could imagine him at the other end of the phone running his hand through his hair as he was apt to do in stressful situations.

"Alright, sometimes you have to do things you don't want to do just too get by in this business", he told her in a softer tone. "You know that's happened to me enough times and sometimes, just getting on with it and not making a fuss when you're beaten is the best way to come back stronger next time. As for the Nexus themselves, I may not think much of their methods, but they are a very cohesive unit and have managed to achieve a lot so far. Barrett's a very clever bloke, but he's ruthless. We just need to make sure you don't become a victim that gets caught in the middle or someone that is easy for them to use as a sacrificial lamb. You need to be really careful Ivy".

"They have, for what it's worth, promised to help me in my matches. If I manage to get a shot at Laycool, just having someone at ringside might help to even the odds a bit."

"Hmm, fair enough. But don't forget, their enemies are also your enemies now. And they have made an awful lot of enemies in a short space of time. Nor do they have any sort of power beyond themselves to rely on" he warned. "You're a clever girl. If you put your mind to it I'm confident that you can steer them away from many dangers, assuming that Barrett has the sense to listen to you. Still, stay professional, don't get involved in anything you don't need to."

"I'll try".

"You just have to make the best of it. If anyone can, I'm sure you can."

A sudden thumping noise distracted Ivy from the conversation.

"Hang on, someone's knocking at the door. I'd better go. Barrett probably needs me to carry his bags for him!"

"Better not keep your new friends waiting Ivy. I'll speak to you soon, can't have you forgetting who the real English superstar is around here!"

"Thanks boss."

"Chin up, love. You'll be alright".

Bidding farewell to her mentor, she dropped her phone on the bed and swiftly moved towards the door. She opened it to reveal the smiling duo of Heath Slater and Justin Gabriel.

The redhead spoke up "There's a Simpsons marathon on TV in our room, we have Oreos, what do you say? With a suitable look of horror, he continued "Justin even got 'healthy snacks' so no excuse not to!"

Ivy, quite touched at their consideration, couldn't help but offer up the first genuine smile they had seen on her since she joined the Nexus.

"Oh, how could I resist those puppy faces?" she joked, grabbing her room key and heading off with the pair for a night of Nexus bonding.

As her mentor said, she had to make the best of it. And that was always easier with cookies.

* * *

A little bit of fluff to end with there!


End file.
